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Nepheshim
'Nepheshim' '' Purpose: To wander the Chorbah, the lightless places of the world, to seek out new views of undeath and new interpretations of the Centurion's tale, and to bring these perspectives back to the city-bound churches. ''Doctrine: ''The Nepheshim take seven vows, detailed in the apocryphal ''Book of the Nepheshim. '' *The Vow of Itinerancy, better known as the Vow of the Road: The Nepheshim shall never establish a Haven. A full lunar cycle is the longest a wandered can rest in one place in good conscience. *The Vow of Solitude: The Nepheshim should wander the lonely places of the world - wilderness, semi-rural areas, and small towns. They may enter cities, but should not linger within them. *The Vow of Hunger: When given a choice, the Nepheshim should choose the more challenging path. *The Vow of Equals: The Nepheshim may not have ghouls, or enter into a Vinculum that renders one party subordinate to one another. A Nepheshim may only travel with an equal. *The Vow of Vigilance: To gain knowledge of what is happening beyond the safety of the cities, and report it back to city Sanctified. In exchange, he may accept the hospitality of the Sanctified elders in that city after refusing three times. *The Vow of Intervention: To intervene in any improper or unnatural relationship between predator and prey, which includes the destruction of vampire hunters and any relationship which sees the vampire subordinate to a mortal. ''Membership: ''The Nepheshim, known also as the Hungry Ones, are a Mendicant faction among the Sanctified. The Nepheshim bloodline are all Nepheshim, but not all Nepheshim are of the Nepheshim bloodline. The vast majority of the faction are either Gangrel or Nosferatu. The Nepheshim acknowledge no formal hierarchy, and relative standing is determined largely by how long the Kindred has lived underneath the vows. Mendicants are forbidden from having any dots in the City Status, Resources, Retainer, or Haven Merits. They should avoid having more than one or two dots of Status in any given group, including Clan, Covenant, and Cults other than the Nepheshim. 'Benefits' • Yanaq are those Nepheshim who have not yet followed their vows for a year and a night. The initiate swears the vows, and gains the Guilty Condition if he takes any action contrary to them. The process of swearing the oath creates a full Vinculum between the initiate and the Tsa'ah who is his sponsor, thereby breaking any existing Vinculums and preventing any others from forming. Yanaqim are given little assistance during this first year, beyond the coded notations that contribute to the Cacophony. The character receives Cacophony Savvy (•) free of charge. •• Gamal have survived a year and a night, but not yet finished their first term of servitude (five years and a night). Few initiates manage to keep their vows for this long, and those who do earn the interest and involvement of their Tsa'ah. The character receives a free Mentor (••), who may be improved by spending beats. ••• Tsa'ah have kept the Nepheshim vows for the enforced period of five years and a night, and voluntarily keep to their vows thereafter. It is only upon achieving this milestone that an initiate is truly accepted as being Nepheshim, and may initiate others into the faction. The character gains a free dot of the Survival Skill to reflect this year of wandering, as well as a Specialty in Survival (Shelter). •••• There are whispered rumors that the Nepheshim have discovered ways of preparing animal Vitae that make it as potent as that of mortals or even elder Kindred. Though the details are an incredibly well-kept secret, the rumors are true. The character may treat animal blood as though it were the appropriate sustenance for his Blood Potency, providing that he has time and privacy to prepare the blood. ••••• Survived for more than 25 years. ??? Insightful, worldly gurus and ferocious, formidable survivors. Travel by foot. Fleet of foot Merit? Seek out new views on undeath and new interpretations of the Centurion's tale. Experiencing new places and new ideas first-hand, at the ground level. Something to represent their adaptability? 'Source''' ''The Lancea Sanctum, ''pp 154-161 Category:Factions Category:Cults Category:Translations Category:Lancea Sanctum Category:Notes to self